GOP heavyweights campaign for Hawley on day before election

Several big Republican names joined Senate candidate Josh Hawley on Monday in Jefferson City in a last-minute push toward Election Day.

The event at the Missouri GOP Headquarters happened one day before the hotly contested midterm election pitting Hawley against incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt and Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe joined Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer to push for Hawley’s campaign. It was one of several events scheduled across the state Monday to whip up support for Hawley. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson stumped for Hawley in Springfield on Monday morning and President Donald Trump was set to speak at a rally in Cape Girardeau on Monday night along with Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

Hawley spoke to supporters for about 25 minutes after introductions by Kehoe and Blunt.

“This stakes in this election couldn’t be higher,” he said. “This election here, tomorrow, in the state of Missouri, is going to determine control of the United States Senate.”

Border control and security was a major talking point, as it has been during the entire election season.

Hawley called out the “liberal Democrats” for wanting to open the borders, raise taxes and go back to “liberal activist judges and a policy of weakness and appeasement.”

The Senate candidate and other Republican leaders hit McCaskill hard on three big issues Monday: border security, tax cuts and Supreme Court Justice votes.

“I think actions speak louder than words and this is where Senator McCaskill’s problem is,” said Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer. “She says she talks a good game but she doesn’t vote that same way.”

McCaskill did vote against both Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, as well as the 2017 GOP tax bill. She said she voted against it because it was “anti-worker” and had been adamant about working with Republicans but was largely left out of the discussion.

She does tout a history of bipartisan efforts to address immigration and border security and has expressed the desire to work with the President on those issues.

McCaskill appeared at Orr Street Studios in Columbia on Monday afternoon.